Extend the July 1st Deadline for Medical Cannabis in WA State

Washington State passed ill advised legislation on cannabis for medical patients in the 2015 legislative session, SB 5052. No fix was passed for the 2016 session.

As of July 1, 2016, patients will be left with no legitimate access to the quantities, types and quality control we have had since the passage of our medical laws back in 1998.

15 plants and 24 ounces will be reduced to an arbitrarily derived number of 4 plants, 6 ounces per patient, with no more than a total of 15 plants per household, regardless of the number of patients living there.

That is a huge reduction, especially for patients that juice raw cannabis or use concentrates.

Collective gardens of up to 10 patients sharing resources will be criminalized.

Storefronts that existed under the medical laws are being forced to get 1-502 licenses or shut down, no longer able to bring the selected strains patients have come to rely on over the years.

There is no way for patients to legally access seeds or clones making 5052 unconstitutional and a patient unable to comply with the current law making 5052 unenforceable.

The reason why is simple: forcing people to buy their cannabis from I-502 businesses that charge a 37.5% sin tax.

Patients who require larger amounts will be forced to register. In February 2016, the Department of Health stated that there will not be medical grade cannabis products in their shops to meet the deadline.

No serious quality control testing had been implemented for pesticides, nor have any of the proposed pesticides been tested for when smoked, vaporized or used in extracts. And the needs of patients who are not able to tolerate even trace amounts of chemicals and pesticides will not be met.

There are no clear HIPAA controls in place on the state registry, with a large list of business and government agencies that have access to it.

THE STATE IS NOT READY OR ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PATIENTS!

Do the leaders of this state really want to cause more suffering to the disabled, our veterans, our children and their families?

With just these issues alone, not to mention the ongoing legal problems with the WSLCB in the courts, we the people of Washington State, on behalf of the patients, do petition you, Governor Jay Inslee, to take measures into your own hands and protect the life, health, safety and well being of your fellow citizens by extending the July 1, 2016 Medical Cannabis deadline for one year, by any and all means at your disposal, including:

Signing an Executive Order OR

Calling an Emergency Special Session for the Legislators to act

The most vulnerable in our state need access to the forms, amounts and varieties they've become accustomed to. Their lives depend on it. Especially those who require the larger amounts and will never be able to afford current I-502 prices, especially after the increased costs associated with the medical grade products.

Please consider the State's liability if patients don't have access or get sick from contaminated products by not being prepared.

Sincerely,

The Patients, their Supporters and Registered Voters of Washington State